Stephen Battaglio

CNN Ends 2014 With All-time Low Ratings, MSNBC Falls to Third Place Among News Channels
By Randy Hall | December 30, 2014 | 6:18 PM EST

Just when it seemed that things couldn't get any worse for the liberal Cable News Network and MSNBC channels, the Deadline website released a year-end review by reporter Lisa de Morales on ratings for CNN in prime time, which hit an all-time low of 516,000, and viewers in the vital 25- to 54-year-old demographic fell dramatically to 126,000, the second lowest number ever.

Meanwhile, the “Lean Forward” network lost 17 percent of its prime-time demographic audience to end 2014 with a viewership of 169,000 in the demographic and a total audience of 590,000. While these numbers outpaced CNN's ratings in this category, MSNBC fell far below its competitor in several other statistics.

TV Guide Gushes: 'Will Michelle Obama Be the Next Oprah?'
By Tim Graham | November 1, 2012 | 6:14 AM EDT

Even if Obama loses next week, the media goo machine will keep cranking away. The new TV Guide is already speculating: “Will Michelle Obama Be the Next Oprah?” Writer Stephen Battaglio imagines what a star she could become (if her husband loses).

She could be bigger than Oprah? “Michelle Obama is such an appealing TV presence that if she and her husband find themselves moving out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, she’ll have the opportunity to make the transition from high-profile engaging talk-show guest to high-profile talk-show host – arguably the biggest ever in terms of recognition.” Experts agree, like a former CNN president.